Nemeses Return
by Gigi101Samba
Summary: Old nemeses of the Powerpuff Girls Z have returned. But with the girls at an unfair disadvantage, will they be able to make it out of this one and save the day again?
1. Prologue

**Me: Hey, I'm back with more PPGZ! :D**

**Kaoru: Hooray (!)**

**Me: R&R! Enjoy!**

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Prologue

A tall figure plodded around his lair in deep concentration, muttering to himself.

"I cannot believe those stupid girls managed to _destroy_ my poor, defenceless little boys, mojo…" The figure paced back and forth, cursing and mumbling. "If they weren't older and taller than the boys then they wouldn't have been so easily intimidated! But, no matter, mojo... Soon, everything will change…"

He walked over to three large tubes, holding various chemicals in his arms.

"After a year of formulas, plotting and pure _evil _genius, I have finally found a way to bring my boys back to me, mojo! They will be stronger than those _pathetic, _little _girly girls_! They will be beings to be feared and admired throughout Tokyo, then eventually, the _world_, MOJOJOJOJO!"

The dark figure cackled manically as he dropped the chemicals into the tubes. He used a slightly different mixture of chemicals for each. Amongst other things, two chemicals were added. Both 'Chemical X Negative' and a bottle labelled 'Growth Formula' were dropped into all three tubes.

Out of his pocket, he pulled out three different locks of hair. The first was a fiery orange, the colour of rust; the second was a bright blond and put the sun to shame; the third and final lock of hair was raven black which gave it a slight blue-ish edge.

The first lock of hair was placed in the first tube. As soon as it hit the liquid, the chemicals inside bubbled and fizzed wildly for a few seconds but eventually calmed down. When it was settled, the solution turned red.

To the second tube, the black hair was added. The chemicals reacted in the same way as the chemicals in the first tube did, only more bubbles were produced and they popped violently. It took a little longer for this mixture to calm down but when it did, the solution turned green.

The third and final tube had the blond hair added. The mixture was calmed fairly quickly then relaxed in a cool ocean blue.

After watching the results of the chemical reactions, the figure grinned evilly and whispered, "Soon… Soon, the results of my findings shall bear fruit and then, mojo… Then, the _Rowdyruff Boys _shall walk this Earth once again…"

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**Me: Oooh! Cliffie!**

**Butch: Aww, man! It was just getting good!**

**Brick and Boomer: Yeah!**

**Me: O_O When did you guys get here? O_o?**

**Brick: Uhhh… about half way through.**

**Boomer: Mmmhmm…**

**Me: Oh, well, uh review please!**

**(Special thanks to cakedecorator for all their support! I dedicate this story to you!)**


	2. Just Another Day

**Me: UPDATE! :D**

**Kaoru: *rolls eyes***

**Me: **_**Anyways **_**we have a special guest appearing today!**

**Momoko: Ooh! Who? Who?**

**Me: Carly-chan! A.k.a. Cakedecorator**

**Carly: Thanks for inviting me! **

**Me: You're welcome! Can you read the disclaimer for me? (Seeing as I forgot to last time.)**

**Carly: Sure thing! **

**DISCLAIMER: GIGI10SAMBA DOES NOT OWN DEMASHITAA! POWERPUFF GIRLS Z!**

**Me: Thank you!**

**Miyako: Is that really necessary? I mean, it's kinda obvious you don't own us…**

**Me: *shrug* I dunno. R&R and…**

**Carly: Enjoy!**

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Chapter 1 – Just Another Day

1 month later…

(Kaoru's P.O.V.)

'_Shit. Shit! SHIT! _SHIT! _I'm late _again!'

It was 9:00. I was 15 minutes late and so, I ran as fast as I could to the front gate of school.

'_Why did Shou have to go and break my skateboard?'_

As I sped up, I noticed a certain red-headed friend of mine running up to the gates from another direction.

"Momoko!"

"Ahh!" She screamed and fell to the floor. She must have been really focussed on something; she didn't see me at all. I chuckled and ran over to give her a hand.

"Kaoru-chan! Don't scare me like that!" I grinned mischievously.

"Gomen." She sighed and ran inside, after grabbing my hand.

"Come on! We're gonna be late!" she yelled.

Before I could even give a 'hai' as a response, an all too familiar _DRRRRIIIIIIING _echoed throughout the halls.

"Ahh! The late bell!"

"_Shit! _Come on, Momoko. Let's go!" I grabbed her hand and practically dragged her into the classroom.

I burst through the doors with Momoko to find Ms Keane giving me a small scowl.

"Late again, Matsubara-san?" Here, she folded her arms and frowned. I rushed to my seat and sat down hastily, as did Momoko.

"Gomenasai, Keane-sensei. It won't happen again!" She just sighed and rolled her eyes.

"And how many times have I heard _that _one, now, hmm?"

I chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of my head. "Uhhh…"

"Too many. Detention after school."

"_NANI? _But sensei, the soccer try-outs are today!"

"Very well, you can have detention tomorrow, instead."

"But, tomorrow's Friday," I protested.

"After school detention, tomorrow, Ms Matsubara."

'_Great. After school detention… and on a weekend!'_

I sighed and slouched in my chair, giving up. However, there was _no way_ I was getting pulled into detention by myself.

"What about Akutsutsumi-san?" I asked, innocently. I could practically feel lasers being shot into the back of my head; Momoko sits on the desk behind and to the right of me. Seriously, if that girl could stare daggers literally, many of us would be dead.

Ms Keane turned to her.

"Don't let this happen again Akatsutsumi-san. Understand?"

"Hai, Keane-sensei."

'_This is SO not fair. I get detention and all _she_ gets it a warning? Not fair.'_

I slouched even more, and then groaned.

"Kaoru-chan, if you keep slouching like that you'll damage your spine, desu."

I sat up to turn around and face Miyako, the one who had spoken. Even though she is one of the most girly people I know (if not, the girliest), she's one of my best friends… is girliest even a word?

Irrelevant.

Miyako and Momoko are my best friends, Lord knows why. Momoko is a boy crazy, candy lover whilst Miyako is a girly girl who loves anything with fur. I'm not even sure why these two are my friends; I couldn't be more different to them. I'm a tomboy. I'm the toughest, sportiest girl in school. Unfortunately, as a result of my tomboyish attitude, I often get mistaken for being a boy… Yeah, you read right, a_ boy. _I guess hating skirts and dresses and everything girly with a passion doesn't help. Anyway, I'm getting off topic.

I sighed, turned back round, then slouched again.

"Are you okay, Kaoru-chan?"

"I'm fine, Miyako," I replied whilst staring out the window.

"Oh, don't worry about her, Miyako-chan. She's just in a bad mood because she got detention again," stated Momoko matter-of-factly.

"Oh…" I could tell she was still a little bit worried about me; after all, Miyako is the most innocent, kind-hearted girl I've ever met. I really don't like seeing her upset or worried, she doesn't deserve it. But, don't you _dare _tell anyone I have a soft side or I will murder you personally.

I twisted around again and gave her the best fake smile I could muster.

"Don't worry about me, Miyako, Momoko's right." She suddenly perked up and beamed out her famous smile.

"Okay!" she grinned. I turned around, still smiling to myself; Miyako's smile can put a grin on _anyone's _face.

It was then that the bell rang for first period and everyone tried to dash off. Key word: Tried.

Keane-sensei got up and stood in front of the door.

"Wait a minute class, I have an announcement!" We all sat back down in our seats, fidgeting, eager to escape registration and start the school day.

"In January, we're all going on a camping trip!" The whole class cheered and whooped, including me.

"Please take a permission slip as you leave the classroom."

There was soon a lot of pushing and shoving to get to the front. I joined in and, naturally, got to the front. Keane-sensei was getting a bit flustered from all the pushing and shoving.

"One at a time, _kudasai!" _Everyone immediately stopped shoving. Keane-sensei chuckled slightly when she saw me at the front of the line. "Matsubara-san, why am I not surprised you managed to get to the front?" she asked, in between small giggles.

I grinned mischievously and replied, "I can assure you, Keane-sensei, I have no idea _whatsoever _as to what you are talking about."

She grinned and rolled her eyes. She offered the slip she was holding in her left hand and so, I took it. I thanked her then waited outside the door for my friends.

Momoko was the first of my two friends to appear from the doorway, she was somewhere in the middle of the queue. We had to wait longer for Miyako though. She was second to last in the queue, well away from the pushing and shoving.

"Arrigato, Keane-sensei," she said, flashing that famous smile again. Our teacher smiled in return, and then handed the final slip to the final person in the queue, a boy with scruffy brown hair.

We both smiled at her as she finally caught up to me and Momoko.

'_So much for being first one out…'_

"Hi, guys!"

"Konichiwa, Miyako," I greeted.

"So," Momoko beamed, "are you guys going to the camping trip?"

'_She didn't waste any time.'_

"I'm not so sure…"

I turned to see Miyako looking down at the floor, something she does when she's thinking.

"Huh, why not?"

"Well, it's all dirt and rolling around in the mud and survival stuff, isn't it?"

"No way! What about roasting marshmallows around a campfire? And teasing the boys in the next camp over?" I asked, shocked.

"Hai! Hai! And what about watching all the fit boys lifting stuff and showing off their muscles and – "

"MOMOKO!" Miyako and I chorused.

'_She's 15 now and she _still _is just the same…'_

"What?" she half-smiled cluelessly.

I faced palmed while Miyako sweat dropped.

"What?" she repeated, pouting.

"Never mind, the point is, are _you _going, Miyako?" I questioned said blonde.

"Well…" she started, face downwards again. She then lifted her head and smiled. "Okay, but only if you guys go."

"Deal," Momoko and I agreed.

"Then it looks like we're all going camping!"

"Yeah!" We all high-fived, you know, the cheesy way, like all best friends do. We then headed towards maths, chatting all the way.

When we got to the maths block, we had to split. Momoko and I are in the same class, but Miyako is AMAZING at math, so she's in set 1. Oh, me and Momoko are in set 2. Some people seem to think Miyako's really dense but that's not the case. She's actually pretty intelligent. Well, in school at least. In the big outdoors, she can sometimes forget to use that big brain of hers and she acts out of her kindness and her innocence; she can be quite gullible sometimes. Anyway, I'm getting off topic again.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

I looked down to find my belt flashing and I grinned widely.

'Finally… _time for some action…'_

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**Me: Ooh! Another cliffie.**

**Carly: Awww.**

**Me: Remember to review, people! Reviews are what keep me writing!**

**Carly: YES! So, review, review, review!**


	3. Old Rival Returns

**Me: Oh my gosh! I'm SO sorry for the late update, guys! LOADS of stuff came up and I was just too lazy to fit it all in!**

**Carly: Yeah. Like, swimming galas to do, essays to write, ski trips to plan and, of course, the big one… HOMEWORK!**

**Me: *nods furiously* So again, SORRY! I promise I'll make it up to you guys by writing a one-shot or something!**

**Carly: Ya, you do owe us. You didn't write a Valentine's fic!**

**Me: Oh, that's right, I didn't… I'll have a fluffy fic done by Friday then. :/**

**Carly: Yay! ^.^**

**Me: I don't own. Blah blah blah, enjoy!**

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Chapter 2 – Old Rival Returns

(Miyako's P.O.V)

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

I looked down and, just as I feared, my belt was flashing.

'_Noooo! Why does it have to go off in the middle of my maths test, desu?'_

I looked out of the window of the door to see Kaoru-chan and Momoko-chan _already _waiting for me. Momoko-chan was staring at me, tapping an imaginary watch, whilst Kaoru-chan was grinning mischievously, like she always does. She was bouncing up and down on her toes with her fists clenched and in front of her chest. Every now and then she threw a punch or kick at an imaginary enemy.

'_Huh, she must be really eager to fight again… I'm not surprised though, it's been what, 3 months since the last monster attack?'_

I sighed at my incomplete maths test, knowing I'd have to play catch-up next lesson. My hand shot up quickly.

"Sensei!"

"Shh!" the teacher scolded.

I felt all eyes on me, making me blush a little.

The teacher sighed. "What appears to be the problem, Gotokuji-san?"

"Uhh… my stomach has blisters. Can I go to the infirmary?"

Sensei folded his arms and raised an eyebrow at me. "Are you desperate to leave?"

I opened my mouth to reply, but then I had an idea. I bent right over, with speed, and pretended to retch; causing many squeals and whimpers from most of the girls in the class.

"Eek! She's gonna throw up!"

"Ah! MOVE IT!" Shirogane-san jumped up and ran to the other side of the classroom, pressing herself up against the wall. She squeaked and pointed at me. "I don't wanna catch whatever _she's _got! Get her out of here!" I smiled a little, having Himeko in the class isn't _all _bad I suppose…

If you're wondering why on Earth Himeko-san is in set 1 with me, it's because she got her otō-san to pay the teachers to put her in. She's now in top set for everything – she got a lot of attention for it, people thought she was really clever. Most people have figured out she's not that bright now however, some people still look up to her 'smarts'. It kind of makes me feel sorry for Shirogane-san… she must not get all that much attention at home…

"Oh, my…" mumbled the teacher. "Hurry to the infirmary at once!"

A boy's hand shot up. I recognized him.

_(Flashback)_

"_Please take a permission slip as you leave the classroom."_

_There was a _huge_ scramble to get to the front, causing Keane-sensei to get a little flustered. "One at a time, _kudasai!"

_Everyone stopped pushing and I wasn't surprised to see that Kaoru-chan had managed to push her way to the front of the queue. I sighed and walked to the back, I didn't want to get my new skirt ruined, after all._

_The boy at the back of the queue had scruffy brown hair, which made him look kinda cute, if you ask me. _**(1)**

"_Hey, Gotokuji-san!" he greeted. He had a cute, boyish smile plastered across his face._

_I smiled at him. "Konichiwa, Saitou-san."_

"_You can take my place, if you want." Before I could reply, he shuffled behind me, still smiling._

"_Oh! Arrigato!"_

"_You don't have to use my surname, you know. Call me Kiyoshi!" He was still smiling._

"_Oh… okay then, Kiyoshi-kun!"_

(End flashback)

"Would you like me to take her, Kurokawa-sensei?"

I gasped. _'No, no, no, no, NO! If Kiyoshi-kun takes me to the infirmary, I won't be able to transform with the girls!'_

"I really don't think that's nec-" I started before the teacher cut me off.

"Oh, yes it is! Saitou-san take Goto-"

"Gomenasai, I've got to go NOW!" And with that, I got up and burst through the door.

…

Right into a 'becoming impatient' Momoko-chan…

(Momoko's P.O.V.)

I looked up just in time to see Miyako-chan run out of the classroom and crash right into me.

"Ahh!"

BOOM!

Next thing I knew, I was on the floor, as was Miyako. My head was throbbing wildly so I clutched it with my left hand.

"Uhhh… my head…" I moaned.

"G…Gomen… desu…"

I looked up to see Miyako-chan, also clutching her head in pain so, I stood up and gave her a hand.

"No problem, Miyako."

She smiled back at me. My smile soon turned into a frown when I heard laughter, coming from behind me.

I turned around, expecting to face Kaoru-chan, but I had to look down as she was _literally_ rolling on the floor with laughter. I stood akimbo, frowning at her. When this had no effect, I lightly jabbed (*cough* harshly kicked *cough*) her in the side with my foot.

"Get up, Kaoru-chan! We've got a town to save!"

She stood up slowly, still shaking and giggling.

"G-gomen." She bit her lip to try to stifle her giggles but, to no avail.

"Kaoru!" I scolded. "We've got to go… NOW!"

"Okay, okay! Let's go!"

She grinned and ran off. I followed swiftly behind her, after rolling my eyes. We ran up many flights of stairs and down many corridors until we reached the roof. I looked around, to check no one could see, and then, I flipped open the pink compact that was located on my belt.

"So, who is it today, Momoko-chan?" Miyako asked me.

I just stood there in silence, dumbfounded. I'm pretty sure my jaw was hanging too.

"Momoko-chan?"

"I don't believe it…"

"What? What is it, Momoko?" Kaoru stepped behind me and looked at my compact. As she did so, her jaw began to hang low, even lower than mine.

"No way!"

"What? What is it, desu?" Poor Miyako scrambled to try to get a view of the compact, but she couldn't squeeze past me or Kaoru – we were solid. My voice suddenly returned to me and I managed to utter two simple words.

"… Mojo's… back…."

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**Don't worry TakaakiXMiyako fans, she's still waiting on Takaaki! ;)**

**Me: Once again, SORRY FOR A SUCH A LATE UPDATE! I will try to update every weekend from now on. HOWEVER, there won't be an update this weekend and possibly the weekend after that because, I am going away.**

**Carly:… This chapter was short…**

**Me: Sorry, I **_**was**_** gonna make it longer (trust me, a **_**whole **_**lot longer). But, then it got **_**too **_**long, and I want to keep my chapters more or less the same size AND leave the readers wanting more!**

**Carly: *rolls eyes* It will do… R&R, guys!**

**Me: BYE! :D**


	4. Blue, Red, Green

**Me: Hi guys! I'm baaaaaaaaaaack!**

**Carly: Yays!**

**Me: There is no justified excuse for updating this late so, all I can say is sorry… Ooo, I still have that fluffy fic to post don't I?**

**Carly: -_- Yes. Yes, you do.**

**Me: Okay, then…**

**Carly: Gigi-san doesn't own!**

**Me: Enjoy!**

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Chapter 3 – Blue, Red, Green

(Miyako's P.O.V)

"… Mojo's… back…"

"NANI? You're joking, desu!"

'_He can't be back! He stopped attacking over a year ago!'_

"Better believe it, 'cause it's true," stated Kaoru-chan, whilst shoving Momoko's compact into my hand. I just stared agape at the screen.

I could make out Mojo's figure (or his robot's figure) stomping around, crushing everything in his path. Mojo's voice rang out from the compact.

"_Come and get me, _Powder_puff Girls Z, mojo! I've got a surprise for you!"_

The compact screen went fuzzy, and then turned black. I handed Momoko-chan's compact back to her.

"So he really _is _back…"

Momoko nodded.

"So… what do we do?" I asked them both.

"Well, duh, we go out and kick his butt! Just like the good times!"

I couldn't help but smile at that. Kaoru-chan's attitude and confidence are two things I admire about her, I kind of look up to her.

I nodded and took out my compact, as did Kaoru; Momoko's was already out. We all flipped them open and held them in the air, waiting for Peach's signal.

"_Powerpuff Girls Z, transform, da wan!"_

Three rings appeared; one on each of the middle fingers on our right hands. Each ring bore our signature colour.

'_Well, here we go again…'_

Kaoru brought her green compact down in front of her face, grinning mischievously, as always.

"Let's do this…"

Momoko-chan and I looked at one another, and then nodded. We all held our open compacts out at arm's length and swiped our rings across them. After we slid them back into our belt slots, a sudden outburst of pink, blue, green and white light surrounded us.

"Hyper Blossom!"

"Rolling Bubbles!"

"Powered Buttercup!"

The light grew more intense and from it, all three of us shouted together.

"Powerpuff Girls Z!"

(Regular P.O.V.) **(A/N: The next eight paragraphs/lines are just a brief summary of the girls, feel free to skip.)**

The light died down and in its place were three teenage girls all clad in matching uniforms. Each uniform was exactly the same except for the fact that each was a different colour.

The red-headed girl stood in the middle was wearing hot pink. To her left, stood a pigtailed blonde wearing baby blue; to her right, was a raven-haired girl wearing green and yellow. I'm sure you know these girls (if you don't, why are you reading this fic?). The girls' names are Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup, also known as the Powerpuff Girls Z.

These girls were super heroines, and the saviours of Tokyo city. And, like all the best super heroes, they have secret identities.

Blossom was the leader of the trio of teenage girls. She was a fiery red-head with a fairly short fuse, she wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed but was tactical, and served well as leader. Her secret identity was Akatsutsumi Momoko, a boy-crazy candy lover.

Bubbles was the second member of the trio. Said blonde was kind-hearted and innocent. She tried to avoid physical fighting as much as possible. She preferred to try to talk to villains and monsters to see what was bothering them. Unfortunately, this tactic rarely worked and she would often have to resort to fighting alongside her teammates. Bubbles' secret identity was Gotokuji Miyako, a fashionable and popular cutie.

Buttercup was practically the polar opposite of Bubbles. She was rough, tough and VERY short tempered. Buttercup never turned down a challenge. She would often rush into battle without a second thought also, without consulting her self-proclaimed leader. This would often result in many arguments between the two.

Bubbles (the glue that held the girls together) would always be the one to stop conflict arising in the group. However, Buttercup would stand to reason if her friends were in danger and/or things were getting serious. Her secret identity was Matsubara Kaoru, a rowdy tomboy.

The three, when together, were unstoppable.

"So, girls…"

"Let's go kick some green monkey butt!"

(Blossom's P.O.V.)

I nodded then took off, leaving a trail of my respective colour behind me. Bubbles followed slightly behind me on my left, Buttercup slightly behind on my right.

"Keep your eyes peeled, girls, we need to find Mojo before he does any more damage," I instructed as my eyes scanned the area below me.

"Hai, desu."

"Pfft, it's just monkey butt, what's the problem? We swoop in, beat the cra-"

Here, Bubbles and I gave her a scornful look.

"-COW outta him, then fly off into the distance, same as always!"

"I wouldn't be so cocky, Buttercup. He _has _been missing for a whole year!" I reminded her. "Who knows what evil he's created in that time?"

Bubbles nodded whilst Buttercup just scoffed. "Yeah? Well, remember this, _Leader _Girl, we fought him for a whole year before he went missing. What progress did he make in _that_ time, huh?"

"Well, -"

"None, Bubbles. None."

I heard something down below and stopped. The girls were still too busy 'disagreeing' to notice.

"Guys, wait!"

They turned and I gestured downwards. Sure enough, Mojo, or rather his (now improved) robo-suit, was stomping around destroying Tokyo. People were running in all directions screaming their heads off. It appeared that Mojo's new goal was more than just stealing candy from babies… _literally._

My green clad teammate grinned from ear to ear. "Let's get 'im!" She started to speed off, but I grabbed her arm and held her back.

"Buttercup, wait."

She let out a childish moan. "What _now?"_

I ignored her and just stared at the scene below us. The back of Mojo's robot suit was opening up.

Eventually, Bubbles hovered down next to us. "What is he doing, desu-wa?"

Without warning, three bold streaks of light shot out of the suit and hurtled down the streets of Tokyo. They were much faster and more destructive than any other Mojo creation I had seen.

"Whoa!"

"What the hell is that?"

"Or, are those," stated Bubbles.

"No time for a debate, girls. Let's go!" I shot after the light, with Buttercup and Bubbles close behind me.

"Wait. What about Mojo?"

I looked back at my raven-haired friend. The anxiousness in her face proved she was longing for a fight. I then looked back at Mojo, he didn't seem to be causing any trouble. In fact, he was just watching us and the light/s. I came to a decision. I told the girls we could get him later, the light was causing too much damage to let it continue.

"Hai," both teammates responded.

And so, we darted after the streaks of light. They were incredibly fast! The streak on the left was dark blue, the one in the middle was blood red and the final streak was a shade of dark green. Together, they formed a trio of colour very similar to our own, only darker. But then, I noticed something.

"Hey, guys… can you see that?"

"See what?"

"The lights… they're giving off a dark aura."

(Bubbles' P.O.V.)

She was right.

"So?" Buttercup questioned. "If they were created by Mojo, they're bound to give off a dark aura."

"No, no, no, no. Look closely."

There was a pause in conversation. Buttercup and I squinted to see what our leader was talking about when suddenly, Buttercup's eyes widened and she reeled back in shock.

"It's –"

"_Really _dark," I finished.

Blossom nodded. "Darker than Mojo's. But, look even harder."

Once again, I squinted to try to figure out was Blossom was saying. By now, we were almost right on the lights' tails. Then, I saw it.

"B-b-b-but, that's impossible, desu!"

What I had seen, was tiny strips off white aura, in-between the midnight black; miniscule, granted, but still there. It appeared that Buttercup had now noticed it too, as she gasped (a rare trait for Kaoru-chan).

"How can something with an aura _that_ dark have white aura, too?"

"I don't know, but –"

Suddenly, the three streaks increased their speed and flew off in different directions.

"They split!"

"Quick, Bubbles, go left. Buttercup, you take right. I'll head for the middle one."

"Hai!"

And with that, we sped off in our separate directions.

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**Oh, yeah. Many thanks to She-Pirates kick-BUTT for notifying me about my double post ^.^''' sry bout that x R&R :)**


	5. The Boys Are Back In Town

**Me: Hmm, I wonder what's gonna happen in this chapter!**

**Carly: Oh yes, 'cause the title isn't obvious at ALL.**

**Me: Hush, puppy.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the PPGZ. If I did, would I **_**really **_**be on fanfiction? Didn't think so.**

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Chapter 4 – The Boys Are Back In Town

(Bubbles' P.O.V.)

I chased the dark blue stripe all around the city. I was amazed at how fast it travelled! Because I was the most agile Powerpuff, I was the fastest in the air, Buttercup was faster on land. Even so, it took me quite a while to catch up to the streak of light. Just when I was right on its tail, this happened:

Without warning, the blue light seemed to suck in the energy around it. White light suddenly surrounded the blue and then, the blue light shot off at an incredible speed! A deafening roar was heard as it tore up the city. It even left two long, burning scorch marks on the concrete from the sheer speed it was travelling at.

'_No way! A sonic boom! That thing just broke the sound barrier!'_

I watched as it tore off into the distance.

'_I've _got _to catch that thing! But…'_

I looked around at the ruined city the blue streak had left behind.

'_If I cause another sonic boom, I could seriously damage the city…'_

I had only ever caused a sonic boom once before, and that was an accident. Blossom, Buttercup and I decided we needed a day off. Of course, Buttercup's idea of a day off was racing laps around Tokyo, to see who was the fastest. Me and Blossom accepted the challenge. We all flew around Tokyo at top speeds. I was in the lead but, Buttercup was closing the gap on my right. I gathered all the energy I could and suddenly felt a surge of power flowing through my body. It was quite a thrill, I must admit. Before I knew it, I was tearing off in front in a blinding flash of light and a deafening roar was following a couple of metres behind me. I completely destroyed the road below me and left huge scorch marks on the burnt concrete.

The mayor made me and the girls spend all of our free time rebuilding the road and thirteen buildings I had massacred. The professor wasn't too happy when he found out, either. Ironic, isn't it? Unlucky thirteen.

Since then, Buttercup has not yet challenged me to another flying race.

I looked around again.

'_On the other hand, if I don't, that thing might destroy the city even more than it already has.'_

I came to a decision. I increased my speed a little and absorbed all the energy I could. Blinding white light surrounded me and I shot off after the blue streak. All I left behind me was a loud boom, torn apart buildings and still burning scorch marks on the concrete road.

(Blossom's P.O.V.)

The blood red streak zigzagged through the city, trying to throw me off course.

"Nice try," I mumbled, "but, it's going to take a lot more than that to make _me_ lose your trail!"

It's as if the thing heard me because, it suddenly shot up into the sky, just as I was about to catch it. This caused me to scream and tumbled backwards in shock.

'_So, you wanna play 'hard to get', huh?'_

I turned a 90° angle and shot up after the red streak, leaving my signature pink one behind me. It darted into a thick layer of clouds, obscuring itself from my sight.

'_Sneaky.'_

I darted after it, hot on its trail. I burst into the clouds and soon realized that catching Red (as I now referred to it) would be harder than I initially thought. I barely see three feet in front of me, let alone find out where Red had gone. I decided to keep going forwards until I flew out of the cloud. When I did, I looked around to see if I could spot Red anywhere or, at least, anything that looked remotely like the red streak I had been chasing. Alas, Red was nowhere to be seen and so, I floated slowly back down towards Tokyo.

'_Dang.'_

(Buttercup's P.O.V.)

The green streak was causing more destruction than anything I, or my teammates, could remember facing. It blasted down the streets of Tokyo, bouncing off walls and lampposts, dustbins and hotdog stands, park benches and fire hydrants. It made sure to leave nothing in one piece. It shattered windows, scattering glass everywhere; it tore up the road so badly it looked like it had been hit by an earthquake; doors had been ripped off of their hinges, heck, whole walls had been ripped apart!

In other words, this thing needed to be taught a harsh lesson: fast.

I sped up until I was flying almost side-by-side to the stripe. I closed in on the right, hammer at my side, but it reared off left and zoomed around a corner.

"Damn it!"

It was then I could have _sworn_ I heard laughing.

'_The hell?'_

The laughing continued. I was a weird, maniacal laughter. It sounded like a crazy hyena on crack… Yeah, THAT weird, but… I kind of recognized it.

I closed in on the streak again. As I did, the laughter appeared to get louder, confirming my suspicions of the laughter coming from the green light.

"What are you?" I muttered to myself.

The thing let out a deep chuckle, then replied in a low voice, "Your worst nightmare…"

'_That voice!"_

"What the _HELL?_ It's you!"

The figure making the dark green streak smirked and slowed down, landing in a dark alleyway. I landed in front of him as he grinned like an idiot.

"Oh, yeah, babe. I'm back. And I'm better than ever."

I snarled. "Butch…"

(Bubbles' P.O.V.)

I caught up to the blue streak again. We were both still travelling past the speed of sound. I felt bad for tearing the city apart. I looked back to assess the damage we had caused.

Answer = too much.

'_This has gone _too_ far!"_

I grabbed my bubble wand and homed in on the left, only to have the streak veer of right. I tried again but this time, the sign for the underground appeared and the blue light darted for it. It was closed for renovations and so, there was a big wooden barrier blocking our path. The light crashed right through it as we both dove under. I gasped as I noticed the pillars crumbled and the tunnel collapsing behind us.

'_I've got to stop this!'_

I held out my bubble wand high in the air so it would fill itself with bubble mixture. Once again, I began closing the gap between me and the blue streak.

Holding my wand back, determined, I yelled, "Bubble Champagne!" I swung my wand from side to side, in front of me, emitting bubbles all heading for the blue. It dodged all of them. I repeated the same procedure again and again, and again and again the blue streak dodged them. By now, I was becoming quit agitated.

"That's it, desu! Balloon Catcher!"

I swung the bubble wand right over my head and from it, an extraordinarily large bubble emerged. This time, the light failed to dodge and the bubble swallowed it up, forcing it to stop. I stopped, too.

"Now then," I started, "I just want to ta-"

I cut myself off, gasping as I took in the boy in the bubble. I immediately recognized him – it couldn't be anyone else. Same, messy blond hair (though, it was now slightly more spiked outwards than before), same boyish grin, same uniform. I looked him up and down, hoping greatly my eyes were deceiving me. I even squeezed them shut and reopened them a couple of times, half-expecting him to just disappear, but he didn't. He was still there.

I noticed a few changes to his appearance; his eyes, for one, were darker, along with his uniform (which now had black stripes instead of navy blue). His once navy blue fingerless gloves were also now black. His rollerblades had been replaced by jet-boots.

'_That would explain a lot,' _I added to the list as an afterthought.

Another difference was his age, he looked much older now. But, it was still him… It was still _Boomer_.

(Blossom's P.O.V.)

I sighed as I continued to float downwards.

"Great," I mumbled. "What am I gonna tell the girls no-"

Without warning, I was tackled from the right with immense force. I was so shocked that I was sent tumbling from the sky and crashed into the ground, leaving a small crater.

I hissed as I looked up. "What the –"

My jaw hung low. The figure hovering above me, the one with the stupid smirk plastered across his now slightly more defined features, the one who had knocked me from the SKY… was none other than Brick Jojo – ex-nemesis and leader of the Rowdyruff Boys, my counterpart.

His appearance had changed a lot since we last met. His previously short orange hair was now much, MUCH longer, almost as long as mine! It was styled in a low ponytail (as appose to my high one) and his short bangs still stuck messily out of the hole in his baseball cap – which was jammed on his head backwards, as always. His once red-brown eyes were more crimson in colour, along with his uniform, his shoes and his cap. He now wore jet-boots instead of his rollerblades and all navy blue he previously wore was now black. His face had apparently healed as there was no longer the ever-present plaster stuck on his right cheek.

'_I wonder if he ever even changed that thing…' _I shivered disgusting images rattled through my brain.

The biggest difference, however, was his age. He looked about 15! My age! Last time I saw him, he was about two years younger than me. He should be 13!

"Brick!"

"Hey, Bloss." He winked at me. (I did NOT blush.) "D'ya miss me?"

* * *

**Me: DUN! DUN! DUUUUUUUUUUUUN!**

**Lucy: Well THAT wasn't totally obvious! *rolls eyes***

**Carly: Uh huh.**

**Me: Stop picking on meh! DX **

**Lucy: :P Review, plz!**


	6. Reunion

**Me: Eeeesh. Sorry I've been away for, like, forever, guys.**

**Lucy: Grr…**

**Me: D': Well, the computer got a virus and then I got banned from the computer until summer. I spent last week at my grandparents', and NOW I'm ill. D'X I'm lucky to be able to escape the prison that is my bedroom right now. Maybe I should take this as a sign and just stop writing…**

**Lucy: Nooo! D:**

**Me: On the plus side, whilst I was bedridden, I had plenty of time on my hands to get writing :) (I always write the chapters in my notebook first). So, if I can stay well enough to get out of bed, I should be able to start updating once a week again. :)**

**Lucy: Yay! :D**

**Me: Ooh, Lucy, I never introduced you to my limited amount of ff readers! Hello limited amount of ff readers! Lucy is my lifelong friend and fellow PPGZ fan!**

**Lucy: WHAZZUP?**

**Me: -_-'**

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN D!PPGZ ETC ETC YADDA YADDA YADDA, ENJOY!**

* * *

Chapter 5 – Reunion

(Buttercup's P.O.V.)

"Oh, yeah, babe. I'm back. And I'm better than ever."

I snarled. "Butch…"

He looked quite different. His stupid fringe that covered half of his face was gone and instead of that ridiculous cowlick, his hair had been spiked upwards. It was almost an improvement... _almost. _His normally light green uniform and eyes were now dark green. The navy blue stripes on his uniform were now black, so were his gloves. Even his once raven-coloured hair was now black, _jet _black… _midnight _black. I noticed he was now wore jet boots instead of rollerblades, too. However, the biggest, most disturbing change about him was his age. He looked my age, maybe older.

He walked up to me, right in my face, frowning. I returned the death glace he so readily threw at me, refusing to be intimidated – his new change in height was quickly becoming bothersome.

"You killed me, Butterfingers."

I just looked at him stoically with half-lidded eyes before replying, "I know, I was there."

His frown deepened. "You're not getting away with that," he spat.

Half-amused, I found myself raising an eyebrow. "Oh, _really?" _ I challenged him by stepping forwards. He hesitated for half a second before taking a step to meet me.

He fixed me with a steely glare before finally replying, "_Really._ So, what do you say, Butterbutt? Me and you, one on one, right here, right now."

"I say…" I removed my hammer and prepared it by my side. "You're on, _Twitch." _**(1)**

(Bubbles' P.O.V.)

'_Why did he have to come back?' _I thought as I looked him up and down, still hoping he would just disappear.

He propped his elbow on his knee as he sat, head propped on hand. Boomer realised I had been staring and smirked.

"You done checking me out, yet, Bubble-brain?"

I scowled. "There's no need for that, desu."

He just stuck out his tongue childlishly and replied, "What ya gonna do, _Powder_puff? Run an' tell ya mommy?"

I just sighed and made to move away. "I guess I'll just call the mayor and wait until the professor gets here," I muttered, taking out my compact.

His eyed widened at the gesture. "No, wait! Don't!" I could hear the panic in his voice. He reached out his arm as if to stop me but soon realised his attempts would be futile whilst the bubble was surrounding him.

As I lowered my compact I turned to him with a questioning look adorning my features. He looked like a scared, lost little boy, reminding me somewhat of what he was like before he 'came back'.

"Why?"

"Just… please? I promise I won't do anything..." Ok, unexpected, much? A _Rowdyruff _pleading and promising? He seemed sincere enough…

Blossom and Buttercup warned me before of my naivety and tendency to be too willing to trust. But… he _looked_ truthful…

'_Well, it's not as if he can do much when he's stuck in that bubble, right?' _Listening to my own reasoning, I nodded towards him, as a sign of trust.

He visibly relaxed and smiled at me. I smiled back, albeit, a little awkwardly.

"Thank you."

"Um… you're welcome?"

'_What on _Earth _is going on?'_

(Blossom's P.O.V.)

"Hey, Bloss." He winked at me. "D'ya miss me?"

I frowned. "In your dreams!"

"Yeah…" He floated down and landed in front of me. "In my dreams…"

I stood akimbo. "What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

He just ignored me and continued, whilst walking around me in circles, as if assessing me. "You know, you're actually quite attractive… Nice curves… pretty face." Here, he stopped behind me and smirked. "Nice a-"

I flushed and whipped around to glare at him. "Don't play games with me, Brick!" I was still red so I had to shy away from his gaze fairly soon, afraid of becoming redder.

This caused him to smirk even more.

'_Ugh, is that the only expression he __**knows**__?' _I thought, bitterly.

"Too bad you're not on _our _side," he continued once more. "Although, with a little persuasion, I'm sure you'd see the light." He ran his tongue slowly over his lips as he said this, raising his eyebrows afterwards.

I looked away again, redness now creeping up my neck and making a beeline for my ears.

Despite this, I calmed myself and glared at him with false confidence. "_Right," _I managed to spit out, sarcastically.

He feigned hurt at my words and pretended to look shocked. "I'm serious! You'd be potential girlfriend material if it weren't for that one little flaw."

Once more I glared. "I'd sooner date a toad." I could only thank the Lord that my voice was still level.

"Ouch."

I growled, apparently snapping out of my daze.

'_He's not even that attractive.' _ I snorted inwardly.

_Lies. _Damn my inner boy-crazed thoughts. I snarled at him, beginning to get ticked off at myself for getting into this stupid state and even more so at him for making it happen.

He laughed at me. "_Relax_, Blossy! You're so easy to rile up!" he grinned.

"Don't call me Blossy," I snapped.

"Sorry, do you prefer Bloss?

I growled again, making him chuckle. That just pissed me off even more.

"You really are quite cute when you're mad, though."

I sighed and squeezed my eyes shut, trying to hold back my temper. I knew he was trying to get to me, trying to weaken me. I refused to let that happen. After a grand total of 3 seconds, I opened my eyes and sighed at him again.

"Let's cut the crap, Brick."

That wiped the bloody smirk of his face. He swiftly recovered and took a step towards me, I took one back. "Ok," he said coolly, taking another step, as did I. "I'm listening." As he took his final step, I remained in my place and looked him determinedly in the eye.

I thought through my questions quickly and asked about the most pressing matter.

"What are you doing back, _again?"_

"Oh, I have 'Mama' to thank for that."

"That wasn't the question," I replied with half-lidded eyes, matching his coolness.

He scowled at me then seemed to give in and sighed. "Revenge," he stated bluntly. "You _did _make us explode… twice." He said the latter with a grimace and an ever so light shudder.

I smirked and folded my arms, triumphantly. "I took great pleasure in it."

He narrowed his eyes. "Oh, I bet you did," he whispered, lowly. "Just like I'm gonna have the pleasure of destroying _you._"

I readied my yo-yo. "Bring it."

(Buttercup's P.O.V.)

I dashed for him and swung my hammer back.

"Sonic Swing Flash!" **(2)**

I swung it in front of me before I reached Butch. A sharp wave of green-white light reverberated from the end of my hammer. It made its way towards him, attempting to temporarily blind him.

'_Ha! Take that, sucker! See if you can fight me when you can't even see straight.'_

I smirked inwardly as I imagined my early victory. I took me a few seconds to realise that the baka was just standing there smirking with his hands in his pockets. Wasn't he even gonna try and dodge?

'_What's that idiot up to?'_ I thought with a confused glance.

He made a point of looking at me as he fished something out of his pocket. Despite leaning over as far as I could without falling, I couldn't quite make it out – something arrow-shaped?

Just as my attack was about to hit him square in the chest, he flung the arm holding the whatever-it-was behind him then threw it forwards with as much power as he could muster.

"Air Slicer!"

In one swift movement, the object cut cleanly through the green-white light, splitting it neatly in half like a knife through warm butter, making both halves of the light disintegrate.

"What the -?" I mouthed, incredulously.

The object that had shielded Butch from my attack made a U-turn and flew right back to him. He caught it casually in his right hand. Now the light had gone, I could see clearly what was in Butch's hand. It was a boomerang. It was forest green with the Rowdyruff black and yellow stripes at each end, a yellow 'R' in the centre. I snorted.

'_Typical. Rowdyruff all the way through.'_

Instead of taking advantage of me being in shock (what can I say? No one had ever frickin' _demolished_ one of my attacks before!), he just grinned and wave the offending piece of wood at me.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Not giving me a chance to reply, he continued on lazily, "Me an' my bros got our weapons 'upgraded'. Here, he slipped in another smirk. "Much better than that stinky sock of yours, wouldn't you agree?"

I growled. "Less talk, more action!" Attempting to get him before he put his guards back up, I lunged for him once more.

"Megaton Dunk!"

"Trip-up Toss!"

As my foot was leaving the ground in a jump, he aimed the boomerang at it. I tripped at fell at his feet, much to my displeasure.

I growled, still on the floor. "That was cheap."

"Only as cheap as you trying to blind me," he countered.

He raised his arm again. "Air Sli-"

I rolled and aimed. "Sonic Swing!"

I hit him square in the shin, catching him unawares. He yelped in pain and jumped backwards, clutching his left leg with both hands.

As he stood, he muttered darkly, "You're gonna pay for that one, Butterbutt…"

(Bubbles' P.O.V.)

I sighed and rubbed my temples. What was I supposed to do if I couldn't get the mayor or the professor?

"Umm… Are… are you okay?" I heard a voice ask hesitantly, cutting through my thoughts.

I turned to him, wide-eyed and speechless.

'_Now he's showing concern for my wellbeing?'_

I was, by now, beginning to become suspicious. "Why would you care?"

I could see a mixture of emotions wash over his face: hurt, embarrassment, shock and a few others. He looked away, visibly annoyed. I noticed what may have been a blush on his cheeks.

I quirked an eyebrow at his odd behaviour. Either this guy was a good actor or he genuinely felt… well, _felt. _How could this possibly be the same person who, moments earlier, was on a destructive rampage around Tokyo and enjoying it?

Silence befell us.

I sighed as I once again reached for my compact. "I'm calling the professor…"

The mix of emotions washed over him again, only this time I could see what I thought looked like betrayal.

"But you said you wouldn't!" he all but shouted.

I immediately put it away again. I hated making others sad, even if they _were _the supposed enemy.

I merely cocked my head, puzzled and asked, "Why is it bothering you? Surely you know the professor wouldn't _dream _of hurting a child!"

He shook his head violently. "That's not what's bothering me."

"Then what is?"

Once again he looked away, red. He hugged his legs to his body as he shrugged, trying to pull off casualness.

"I want to be able to trust you," he mumbled, simply.

'_Trust the enemy? Now I _know _something is wrong, desu.'_

By look on his face, I clearly hadn't masked my surprise well.

"_Sorry?_" I asked, disbelieving.

As he turned, he looked me straight in the eye. He was either confident or determined, perhaps both.

"I want to trust you."

I eyed him sceptically for a moment or two. "Why?"

He sighed, clearly frustrated. "Does it matter?"

I looked in his eyes once more, trying to detect a lie or a trick… I found none. Eventually, my naturally trusting side won.

"I guess not." I wandered over and sat in front of the bubble that was still containing the boy.

He smiled at me and shuffled round to face me.

"Thank you."

I smiled back, genuinely this time. "Don't mention it."

(Blossom's P.O.V.)

In the space of five minutes, I had whacked Brick in the jaw, given him a good roundhouse kick and tied him up. In the same amount of space, Brick had broken free, poisoned me and then stunned me. For those of you wondering how on _Earth_ I got into this mess, here's something of how it went:

"Apple Yoghurt Shoot!"

My yo-yo went spinning directly towards his jaw and connected with a satisfying _thwack._

"Ow! Fucking bitch…" he mumbled, rubbing his jaw.

I stopped mid-flight, mouth agape.

"_What _did you just call me?" I all but screamed incredulously.

"You heard," he muttered darkly, whipping out a small, red tube-like object. "Poison Dart!"

He put it to his mouth and blew. A red (far-too-pointy-for-my-liking) dart flew out of the end at top speed, aiming for my leg. I shrieked, flying whilst attempting to doge out of the way. Luckily, it hit my skirt and shattered. I thanked the protective suit whilst Brick cussed against it.

"What the _hell_ is that thing?" I screamed, pointing and panting.

He smirked, twirling it in his fingers. "_Now _who's swearing?"

"Just answer the question! And besides… hell isn't a swear word…" I added defensively.

"It's a blow-dart gun; an upgrade from that silly girly straw of yours, if you will."

"That was my favourite straw..." I mumbled, pouting.

"I rest my case."

Snarling, I continued my attack.

"Spinning Tangerine Mousse!"

He blocked it by hitting it away with his dart gun.

I growled. "Boala Spin!"

Blocked.

"Caramella Shoot!"

Blocked.

Becoming increasingly annoyed with his cockiness, I gave him the full auto.

"Strawberry Sundae Shoot! Mitarashi Dumpling Shoot! Dorayaki Spin! Tiramisu Shoot! Special Melon Creame Shoot!"

Block, block, block, block, blocked.

Screaming my rage, I lunged for him with the full intention of rearranging his gorgeo- I mean his _face_ with my fists. He caught them both by the wrist.

"Geez, calm down, Blossy!"

"Don't – call – me – _Blossy!"_ I yelled, spitting in his face.

Okay, a cheap shot, but he was annoying me!

As he gasped and let go to wipe his eyes, I took advantage of the situation by giving him a good roundhouse kick to the back of the head. He stumbled forwards (somehow, this is possible in mid-air) so, once again, I took advantage of the situation and tied him up using my yo-yo. He struggled but I made sure to keep a tight hold of the end of the string.

"Damn it…"

"Ha!" I reached for my compact. "Now be a good little boy and stay still whilst I call the professor."

"Not bloody likely…"

He began to struggle again but I ignored it and turned away so I could talk to the professor without distraction.

"_Blossom, what's going on? What's taking so long? Somebody's interfering with our cameras, I can't see a thing!"_

"We've encountered quite a problem, professor. Mojo and the Rowdyruff Boys have returned."

On the other end of the line, I could hear the professor spewing out his afternoon tea, probably all over his computer screen.

My thoughts were confirmed when I heard him grumble something along the lines of, 'liquids in the circuits' and 'have to clean that again now'.

"Professor, I've managed to apprehend Brick of the Rowdyruff Boys. Bubbles and Buttercup have gone after what I'm assuming to be Butch and Boomer. My current position is –"

I cut myself off with another shriek as I felt something cold and sharp pierce my thigh. I gasped as I looked down to see a dart with red feathers sticking out of my leg.

"_Blossom? Blossom?"_

I dropped my compact in shock, the professor's voice still ringing out of it. Hastily, I brushed the dart off of my leg and looked up, glaring at Brick. Somehow, he'd managed to unravel himself without my noticing. He just shook his head, smiling to himself.

"It's too late now; the poison's already got into your system." Here, he paused to look at an imaginary watch. "I'd say it'll be, what, ten minutes until the poison leaks up into the rest of your body?"

I gasped as I once again looked to the area in which he shot me. The skin around the puncture was already swollen and red, quickly edging towards purple.

"Maybe fifteen or twenty if you stay dead still. If you want to live, I'd suggest that you stay put until help comes."

"Why, you-!"

"Stun Dart!"

The new pain in my neck caused me to stop and reel back.

"There," he smirked, "that should help you out."

I could feel the poison and anaesthetic beginning to take over. I was struggling to keep my eyes open and it caused me great pain to move any of my limbs.

"See ya around, Bloss!"

A red streak soaring across the sky above me was the last thing I saw before I went limp. Darkness closed in as I fell.

* * *

**(1) In the original Powerpuff Girls, Butch normally twitches with excitement or anticipation after he is resurrected, I just thought it might be fun to incorporate this into the PPGZ. XD**

**(2) Is actually a move! I did my research. XD Oh, so are all of Blossom's attacks.**

**I'd like to give a massive shout out to all my reviewers, who (most) have stuck by me despite all my lateness! So, here they are:**

**Adork4cartooncouples (ur review made me giggle as well as encourage me, thanks! :D), She-Pirates kick-BUTT (who has not yet failed to post a review on any of my chapters ), vip-4-prez, HyperRima, kitty132383, princessplatinum, Fruitloop-1, cakedecorator and last but not least, aoi123456789!**

**Thanks a lot guys!**


	7. A Cherry Blossom's Death

**Me: Well, hiatus over, guess I'm back! :)**

**Lucy: Yay! :D You were gone for ALMOST A WHOLE FREAKING YEAR! :C**

**Me: I know, I'm sorry. T^T**

**Lucy: Well, at least you're back... :/**

**Me: Sorry, guys. Okay, here's the deal, I've kind of really lost interest in this story now. :/**

**Lucy: D:!**

**Me: But, I'd never leave a story unfinished! So, I'll do my best to keep the story entertaining for you guys. :)**

**Lucy: Okay. ; u ;**

**DISCLAIMER: You know the drill - enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 6 – A Cherry Blossom's Death

(Buttercup's P.O.V.)

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

I looked down to see the pink light on my belt flashing dangerously.

'_Shit! Blossom!'_

Butch was still getting up looking livid.

"I'm gonna _kill_ you!" he screamed in outrage, running forwards.

I dodged and turned to see him stumble but quickly recover his composure. He looked at me over his shoulder with a snarl.

"I don't have _time_ for this, Butch!"

"I don't care, you're going down!"

He growled and raised his boomerang.

"Air Sli-"

"SONIC SWING!"

My hammer connected with his head before he'd even finished his sentence. He fell to the floor with a loud crack and a thump, blood flowing from his left ear. I walked over cautiously and hit him in the side; when he didn't react a second time, I nodded in approval of my work and made to set off.

'_Good. Unconscious.'_

Wordlessly, I flipped out my compact to send the coordinates of Butch's location to the professor, only to find, to my immense frustration, that it wasn't working. Sighing, I decided that Blossom was more important and so, flew off to try and find my comrades.

(Bubbles' P.O.V.)

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

I looked down to see the pink light on my belt flashing.

"Oh no…"

"What? What is it?" Boomer crawled forwards in the bubble to try to get a better look.

"It's Blossom," I explained, indicating towards my belt. "Her distress signal's been activated."

His expression suddenly darkened. "Brick…"

"What?" I asked, dazed by his sudden change in personality.

"It's Brick," he stated, fumbling for something in his pockets. "The plan was to split up and destroy you girls individually. Brick must have got Blossom."

I gasped in horror. "I've gotta go!"

"No, no, wait!"

I halted my take-off. Boomer was still frantically searching his pockets.

"Ah, here we go!"

He pulled out two blue drumsticks, each emblazoned with the Rowdyruff 'R' at the tips and the bottom decorated with the black and yellow Rowdyruff arrow-stripes. He drummed lightly on the bubble surrounding him. It popped, dropping him gently to the floor.

This, to say the least, left me stunned.

"Wha-? But… How did you -?"

"No time for that, Bubbles, I promise I'll explain later."

"But, if you could escape, why would you -?"

He just continued on as if he hadn't heard me. He lifted what appeared to be a vial containing some sort of clear liquid from a chain hanging around his neck.

"Brick most likely poisoned her. This is the antidote. Butch and I are supposed to keep some on us in case Brick 'accidently' hits us or something…"

"But, _Boomer _–"

"Decides to use us as target practice, more like…" he muttered.

He lifted the chain, promptly pushing the vial (chain and all) into my hands, rendering me speechless.

"Take it. You'll need it to cure Blossom. Two to three drops should be enough but if she's in a bad state, give her five."

I looked from the vial to Boomer and then back to the vial again, completely taken aback by his kindness.

"I…" I looked into his eyes, extremely grateful. "Thank you."

He smiled in return. "Don't mention it," he replied, closing my fingers around the vial. "Go. Blossom needs you."

I smiled and hugged him.

"Thank you so much."

I could feel him tense up but, after a few minutes, he relaxed and returned the hug, albeit awkwardly.

"Uh… n-no problem."

When I pulled away, I noticed a red hint to his cheeks. I thought nothing of it.

"You better go…"

"Right," I said, taking off. As I was leaving the underground I remembered something and turned back to face him. "Oh, and Boomer?"

"Yeah?"

"Why _didn't_ you free yourself sooner?"

He simply smiled and replied, "I want to know I can trust you."

(Regular P.O.V.)

As he watched her fly off, Boomer pulled out his communicator.

"Yo, Brick, you there?"

"'_Sup lil' bro?"_

"Phase two is complete."

Brick smirked down the receiver. _"Nice one. I knew you could fool that blonde… Mind you, if she's anything like her counterpart, that's not saying much."_

"Oi, watch it." Boomer's laugh completely destroyed any and all malice is voice may have held.

Brick chuckled.

"So, you got what you needed from Blossom?"

"_Yes, everything went according to plan. You gave Bubbles the antidote?"_

"Yup."

"_And she trusts you?"_

"Oh, hell yeah."

"_Well done, brother, well done."_

"Why, thank you, brother."

They both laughed uproariously at this however, Brick stopped suddenly, his tone one of seriousness.

"_Hey, you haven't heard from Butch, have ya? I can't get hold of him at all."_

Boomer's expression became deadpanned. "No, I haven't. You don't suppose he went in 'all guns blazing' again, do you?"

There was a sigh down the other line. _"Dare say he did, probably got himself knocked out in the process, the stupid idiot."_

Now, it was Boomer's turn to sigh. "Baka. We better find him."

"_I suppose so."_

"Boomer out."

"_See ya, bro."_

(Bubbles' P.O.V.)

_'Please be okay. Please be okay. Please be okay!'_

A flash of green flew before my eyes, breaking me from my silent pleading.

"Buttercup!"

"Huh?" She turned and her eyes widened with recognition. "Bubbles!"

She flew to meet me and began to shake me violently by the shoulders, shooting question after question at me.

"Bubbles! Is Blossom okay? Have you seen her? Is she with you? Have you managed to contact the professor?"

My vision started to become blurred as she shook the air out of me. "Buttercup... I'm getting dizzy..."

Finally, after seeing the apparent damage and trauma she was applying to my brain, she released my shoulders and hovered back a bit.

"Sorry... But, have you -?"

I held up a hand to stop her continuing. "I haven't seen Blossom but, I can tell you that if we don't get to her soon, she's gonna be in serious trouble!"

I could she panic shine in her eyes. "And the professor...?"

I shook my head. "I haven't been in touch."

"Me neither... I can't pinpoint where Blossom's distress signal is coming from, either; I think Mojo's jamming the signal."

My expression was enough to show Buttercup what I thought of that particular piece of new information.

"We _have_ to find her."

"Hai."

"We should split up," Buttercup stated, about to take off.

"No!" I grabbed her arm and shook my head wildly. "If one of us found her, we'd have no way to communicate! The compacts are down, what if one of us runs into trouble?"

The truth was, I didn't want Buttercup to go off alone in case she found Blossom without me. I had the antidote; Buttercup wouldn't be able to save her alone. Of course, I couldn't tell her that because then she'd want to know how I knew what was wrong with Blossom and where I got the antidote from. There's no way she'd let me give it to Blossom if she knew that the antidote had come from a Rowdyruff. She'd say it was all a trick, she wouldn't understand.

Buttercup nodded. "You're right. Let's go!"

And with that, we were off.

(Buttercup's P.O.V.)

Me and Bubbles searched every nook and cranny of Tokyo that was in the vague direction of where Brick and Blossom had flown to. After an agonizing five minutes, with no sign of Blossom, we finally found a trail of destruction leading to central Tokyo.

Bubbles halted, as did I.

"That's _gotta_ be it."

I nodded as a response. "Let's go!"

We followed the trail of destruction until we came to the place where it stopped. Both surprised, we looked around for any signs of a struggle; it was hard to tell considering the amount of damage the trail had caused on top of that.

The place was abandoned. There were no people, no dogs, no bird chatter, nothing.

"I don't get it…" Bubbles mumbled, looking around. "Where did everybody go? Why'd the trail stop?"

I looked around, coming to a quick conclusion.

"They must have evacuated the area when Blossom and Brick flew through here…"

'_As for the trail stopping…'_

Suddenly, Bubbles piped up, "They must have flown up!"

"What?" I asked, looking back at her and snapping out of my thoughts.

"There's no more trail, right? So they must have gone up!" she exclaimed, lifting both arms unnecessarily to help punctuate her point.

'_Or Blossom got herself kidnapped…' _I thought, morbidly.

"'Kay, let's go!"

She took off, leaving her blue streak behind her. I followed shortly behind her, my green streak following me.

(Bubbles' P.O.V.)

I almost screamed at the sight before me.

Sure enough, lying there in a crater in the road was the limp body of our pink clad leader, Blossom. She was unconscious and shivering as her aura faded away. I could only stare in shock. How could anybody do this to her? Sure, we've faced a lot of dangers in the past, but never _death._

Buttercup touched-down next to me.

"Oh, my God…"

Shaking myself out of horrid thoughts, I dragged Buttercup over to the crater.

"What do we do…? Bubbles, what do we _do?"_

"I… don't know…"

'_How do I get rid of Buttercup long enough to give Blossom the antidote?'_

It was then that I noticed that Blossom's compact was missing.

'_Perfect.'_

"Buttercup!" I exclaimed, snapping her to attention.

"Hai?"

"Go look around and see if you can find Blossom's compact, we may be able to use it to contact the professor."

"Won't the signal be blocked like ours are?"

"I don't think so. We managed to pick up its distress signal; at least some part of it must be working.

"Okay, I'll go look."

As soon as her back was turned, I gave Blossom my jacket to try and stop her shivering and lifted the chain with the vial from around my neck.

'_Please be okay…'_

I pinched her nose, lifted her chin and tipped a few drops of the antidote down her throat.

It was all up to Blossom now…


End file.
